Microsoft to Open New Retail Stores for the Holidays

Microsoft has announced plans to open 30 "pop-up" holiday stores across the U.S. and two in Canada, an effort intended to drum up interest in Windows 8 and its Surface tablet ahead of the holiday shopping season. The Redmond, Wash. company operates 23 permanent stores nationwide with another eight opening soon. These locations are mostly on the east and west coasts: The holiday locations are placed in areas without permanent retail stores, with several in the Midwest. With the new locations, Microsoft's retail footprint more than doubles, if only temporarily.